Colours of Egmore
Egmore, a historic neighbourhood in Chennai, India, is known for its colonial-era architecture, busy railway junction, roadside artists, and markets overflowing with colour. The railway station here has been a major travel hub for over a century, once one of the key gateways connecting colonial Madras to the rest of South India, long before Chennai had its current name.
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
He holds my hands softly and places the hemispherical drum in my open palm.
“What are they called?”
“Oh, just happy drums,” he tells me. “Feel closely,” and he begins tapping on them, and the loveliest notes come forth. “Do you feel the vibrations?” he asks me, smiling as I nod back.
“That is music we create.”
He leaves me holding it and shows me his wares: numerous drums in various shapes, sizes and motifs; some catering to hippies, others to Buddhists, many to free souls and several to children, with happy trees, blue waves and lavender poppies.
He taps across his wares, and several notes ring out in succession. He smiles as strangers turn toward him, inspecting the source of this lovely noise in the bustling Saturday Egmore crowd. Softly, and with the attentiveness only an artist possesses, he places different drums into their hands and watches their faces change as they realise the vibrations they feel are translated to the music soothing their hearts.
He spreads his arms again, exhibiting his colourful wares — bold reds and greens, some with golden borders, others with silver. They sit in neat rows, descending in size. What a luxury it is to not be afraid of colours, I think.
Beside him, his companion’s stall swayed gently beneath the tarpaulin roof — rows of cloth puppets suspended by red strings, alongside home decorations, miniature autorickshaws and elephants, all just as strikingly vivid. Crimson, saffron, turquoise and deep violet spilt across their skirts in mirrors, sequins and gold-threaded patterns, while bright yellows and glowing blacks flashed beneath the dim shelter of the stall.
Colours of Egmore, photos by me.Their painted faces wear fixed expressions beneath large black eyes heavily lined with kohl, and their shiny attire and jingling trimmings catch the light whenever the hot Chennai wind drifts through. Dancers and singers and village women and puppeteers hung frozen mid-performance, as though an entire travelling theatre has paused beneath the blistering Egmore heat — a world of their own, within a world of his own.
“…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”
― Vincent Willem van Gogh
Thoughtfully yours,
D
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Previously on Random Specific Thoughts:
#Podcast time! #SummerGamesFest. A festival. Of games. In the summer. We talk about. Also #film news, the usual #Warframe check-in and of course #puppets. Search Pixels and Puppets where you get your podcasts or at this direct link:
https://shows.acast.com/pixels-and-puppets/episodes/pixels-and-puppets-s04e11-dancing-animals
A festival. Of games. In the Summer.
The Observers dance the outro at the end of all 14 episodes. That was never scripted. Tom's music is the sole cause of that. Once I was puppetting the characters with the soundtrack's music added my hips were bouncing on their own so I played into it.
Now I think there's some chance the ship is powered by the power of dance. That's how they get the engine going.
"...a sparkling gem of mythic invention and wonder.” --PW
SHADOWBRIDGE is a world of stories—-stories gathered and performed by Leodora, a young shadow-puppeteer who travels the linked spans of Shadowbridge. She does not yet realize that tales she collects might attract unwelcome attention. . . that there might be some creatures who do not want their stories told.
#bookstodon @bookstodon #ebooks #fantasy #kitsune #puppets #TalesWithinTales #GregoryFrost #BookViewCafe
https://bookviewcafe.com/bvc-announces-shadowbridge-by-gregory-frost/
My body is not my own.
I am the puppet of my body. My mind is a prisoner of this terrible thing.
Ithaca Festival spectators sit on grass and watch puppet theater
#photo #photography #festival #ithacafestival #crowd #ithaca #dewittpark #park #puppets
Furry Puppet Studio
Global Feed
Random Specific Thoughts
Operation: Puppet 🇨🇦🏳️🌈
Starship Schrödinger's Destiny
Kat Kimbriel
Willard
Paul Houle
dance